Electric fan.



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mncrm mi.' K LPPLIUIIOI FILED ILIAS. 1909.

famme Apr. 26.1910.

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. R. P; THOMPSON.

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n." fan-nuca mmm-mum nagaan. o-`c I Y To all whom it may concern:

.RALPH P. THOMPSON, 0F SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

ELECTRIC FAN.

Be it known that 1', RALPH P. THOMPSON, acitizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the countyv of Clark and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Electric Fan, of which the lfollowing is aspecification.

My invention relates to that type of electric fans knownY as oscillatingfans, being so named from the fact that a bearing is provided upon thestationary part of the fan, and upon which the body may turn from sideto side, as the fan rotates, for the urposc of distributing the aircurrent that 1s projected from the tan blades. 7 The object of myinvention is to provide means, by the use of which an oscillating fan,which uses the air current as the motive pewerjfor Athe oscillatingmovement, mayr become self-starting. I accomplish this by applying aconstant pressure upon the movab e reversing vane, of either airpressure, or by frictional contact with the armature shaft, the pressurebeing sov applied that it always moves the reversing vane into theopposite operati\'e position when the reversing vane is releasedby thereleasing meehanism.

I n the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thesespecifications, F1 gure 1 shows a side'relevation of the fan and inwhich certain parts are broken away to better show the construction.Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the fan. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the fanbody and upper part of the fan base, with the `aard and blades removed.

F 1g. 1 shows a sectional View of the fan inr which the body A issupported on an anti-friction bearing a in the base B, and upon whichthe fan body may turn from side to side through an arc of a circle whichis limited b v the stops t and t', Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, which come incontact with the striker pin p located on the arm T.

The vane V, Figs. 1 and 2 ,is the reversing vane. and is supported bythe arm r, Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. vT he arm r is attached to a spindle sFig. 1, which has a bearing in the varmature shaft S which is in theform of a tube. The spindle s forms a pivot for the arm r at p,jFig. land Fi 2, around which the reversing vane V, an itsY counter weight lVwhich is attached to the arm r, may revolve. The vane V is set at aninclination to the planein which it revolves, which angle of inclinationis in the same Specificationof Letters Patent. Patentedipr 26 1910,

Application filed January`23, 1909. Serial No. 473,325.

direction as the angle ofthe blades themselves. f l

The spindle s has fixed upon its opposite end a shortcrank c, which inturn carries a roller ai, Fig. 1 and Fig. 3. On the body of the fan astud u is fastened, Fig. 1, and upon this stud isV journaled an arm Tthat carries the striker pin 72 and passing beyond, is bent up andformed at lts top into an ,l t ni TEDsTA'rEs PATENTOFFICE. v *gescapement device K, Fig. 1 and Fig. 3. 1

T he escapenient K is rovided with two surfaces f and f whic roller d.

In operation, the reversing vane V being held in front of the bladeswith the arm r.

extending in a horizontal position with. the roller d, Fig. 1 and Fig.3, normally resting on one of the flat surfaces of the escapement K, theunbalanced reaction of the air current will cause the fan to turn uponthe hea ring a. The reversing vane V, having the surface which ispresented to the action of the air current set at an angle to the planein which it revolves, has a tendency to travel along with the blades asthe puffs of air from the blades strike the vane and react in thedirection of the small arrow at edge of vane, Fig. 1. The friction ofthe spindle s' in the shaft S also tends to turn the reversing vane inthe same direction. The reversing vane is resisted from turning upon thepivotal point pby the roller cl which normally rests on one of the facesfor f of the escapement K. In the views shown, the movement of oscilla'-tion is to the left as indicated by the arrow at bottom of guard Fig.2.' The roller (l is shown resting on the surface f of the escapement K,Fig. 3. As the movement continues the striker p upon the arm T Fig. land Fig. 3, will come in contact with the stop t and a movement. of thearm T and escapement K will take place, which will free the roller d. Atthe same time the surface f' is brought into the path of the roller i asit revolves in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, andthe roller clthrough its solid connections with thereversing vanewill bring thereversing vane V into opposite operative position when the roller dcomes to rest on the surface of the escapement K. The force y reversingvane tends to. revolve it from one opera-tive position to. the opposite,and if unrestrained would tina-ily cause the reversing vane to revolvealmost as fast asv the. blades themselves. 0n the other hand the act asstops to the E y f 956,229

friction .of the s indle s in the shaft S could be increase until thereversing vane vwould travel with the blades, even if its inclination tothe plane kin which it travels vere reversed.

' In the preferred form shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, I have takenadvantage of bot-h the aircurrent, and frictional contact, to givemotion to the -reversing vane, and have adapted an cscapement mechanismto obtain the intermittent movement ef the reversingvane which isnecessary in order to establish an oscillating movement ofthe fan. W'henthe fan is started the escapement mechanism will b e brought. intocontact with the stops with suicient force to move the escape-ment andcause the reversing vane to take the op' posite operative pos1t1on, and1t is therefore self-starting at all times. Y.

Other forms of this invention than those shown are attainable in whichfriction alone, or air pressure alone, may be used as the constantlyapplied force for movingl the reversing vane from one operative positionto the opposite. I therefore do not confine myself to the forms shownherewith, but desire to secure Letters Patent on the following:

1. In an oscillating fan in 'hich the reaction of the air current isused, as the propelling power for causing the oscillating movement, avane interposed in the path of the air current, and upon which the aircurrent impinges thereby unbalancing the reaction of the air current inrelation to' the bearing of oscillation, a rotatable spindle and an armattached thereto and extending radially therefrom, said arm adapted tohold said vane in operative position 1n front 4 of the fan blades and atone side of a plane central of the fan, and an escapement mechanismoperated by stops on the stationary art of the fan, said escapementmechanism ing adapted to release said rotatable spindle and again arrestits movement, when tie detiector or vane has been moved into Voppositeoperative position.

2. In a reaction type oscillating fan, the combination with a rotatablereversing mechanism for unbalancing the reactionary force of theI aircurrent in relation to the bearing of oscillation, a deiiector attachedY te said rotatable reversing mechanism, said detlector acted upon bythe air current from the fan, and adjusted to cause a constant pressuretending to move the rotatable reversing mechanism from one operativeposition to the opposite, a device for retaining said rotatable reversinmechanism in either operative position, an a releasing mechanismoperated by a trip on the stationary part of the fan andvadapted'torelease the reversing mechanism to cause 1t to move under the iniiuenceof the air current.' to the opposite operative position.

3. In a reaction type oscillating fan the combination .vith a rotatablereversing mechanism for unbalancing the reactionary force of the aircurrent in relation to the bearing of oscillation, frictional contact'netween said rotatable reversing mechanism and the armature shaft, adevice for retaining said rotatable reversing mechanism ia eitheroperative position, and a releasing mechanism operated b v a trip on thestationary part of the fan and adapted to release the reversingmechanism to cause it to move under theinliuence of the frictionalcontact to the opposite operative osition.

4.. The combination in an oscil ating fan, having fan blades carried bya motor, and which motor is adapted to oscillate upon a bearing on astationary member, of a revoluble friction driven reversing vane mountedupon the oscillatin part of the fan, and means upon the said stationarymember, adapted to act upon the revoluble reversing mechanism for thepurpose of controlling the stroke of oscillation of the motor upon itsbearing upon the said stationary member. Y

RALPH THOMPSON.

Witnesses z EMIL Korn, O. P. EDWARDS.

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